Rolla's 72-hour clock on broken cars, and selling one

Project car or junked vehicle?

Rolla draws the line by how the car is kept, not by its age. A car "in the process of restoration" falls outside the definition if it is:

• "properly secured"
• not creating "a public health or safety hazard"
• in the rear yard, or in the side yard "if covered by weather-resistant cover"

A half-finished project in the front yard does not qualify, and neither does one in a side yard without a weather-resistant cover. If the project has stalled for good, old project car walks through selling it.

The same section reaches boats, trailers, campers and RVs that are partially dismantled, wrecked, unlicensed or improperly registered. It also names who counts as the owner: the person registered with the Missouri Department of Revenue, plus anyone the city knows is claiming the vehicle.

Parts piles, carports and blocked ditches

Section 28-3 lists nuisances. One is the open storage of "any junk vehicle parts," and the code spells out what open means. It covers "storage under open carports or breezeways, storage in open garages not equipped with a door," and yards visible from the street. A pulled engine on the carport floor fits that list.

A vehicle or junked vehicle anywhere in town is also a nuisance if it blocks a street, sidewalk, ditch or drainage, harbors tall weeds, creates a fire hazard, or gives pests a place to breed.

After a crash or a tow

Chapter 27 defines abandoned property to include an unattended or unlicensed vehicle subject to removal "whether or not operational." When a car is towed from an accident at police request and the owner has not picked it up "within five (5) days of the accident," the agency that asked for the tow must write an abandoned property report. Section 36-3 sends abandoned vehicles through state law, Chapter 304 RSMo. Towed or impounded picks up from there.

Parking the registration

Section 27-306 points to a Department of Revenue process for "voluntary suspension of motor vehicle registration for vehicles which are inoperable or being stored." Driving the car during that period is a violation, and you cannot use it again until you notify the Department and show proof of financial responsibility. That suits a car you plan to keep. For one you plan to sell, the steps below matter more.

Title, scrap rules and Jefferson City

Rolla title work goes through the state. Any Missouri license office will take it, and the Motor Vehicle Bureau sits in Jefferson City. Lose the title and the duplicate runs $8.50, with $9 added for processing.

No title at all? In Rolla, ten model years is the mark. Past it, a car that no longer runs can go to scrap without a title. Before buying, the operator looks up liens online. For a Rolla sale, the yard then mails the Department a copy of your ID with the bill of sale you signed. Once a car reaches 20 model years, that lien check drops away. For this rule, inoperable means rusted, wrecked, worn out or mechanically dead, with scrap as its best use. See junk car with no title.

With a title in hand, skip the notary; Missouri has none for this. Pull your plates as the car is leaving, and let Revenue know about the sale within 30 days.

Getting an offer

Reach us at (877) 421-6008 or by the form. The form walks you through the details on your Rolla car. The truck heads to the Rolla car where it sits, be that a side yard, a carport or a garage bay. Jefferson City and Columbia have their own pages, and Missouri covers the state.